off-broadway

Several hundred prisoners watched intently as four of their own sat on stage and told them that there is a future for them when their sentences are up.

The cast of the off-Broadway hit “The Castle” performed the play – describing obstacles criminal offenders face upon their release – recently for inmates at the maximum security Green Haven Correctional Facility in Dutchess County.

“The Castle” has been in production at New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., since April, with performances each Saturday at 5p.m.

The play is based on the real-life experiences of four ex-prisoners – Angel Ramos, Vilma Ortiz Donovan, Kenneth Harrigan and Casimiro Torres – who lived at Fortune Academy, a stately halfway housing facility in West Harlem, nicknamed the Castle because of its Gothic exterior.

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Actor Gbenga Akinnagbe is reaching for new artistic heights after completing his role as assassin Chris Partlow in HBO’s acclaimed drama “The Wire.”

But life for him wasn’t always pleasant.

As he starred in the recent Off-Broadway show, “Lower Ninth,” Akinnagbe talked about his life before and after “The Wire.”